27
Chapter 27
Just as Sancta approached Benny to start the healing.
"Wait."
Enoch stopped her. Sancta looked up at him, her hand still outstretched.
Her expression showed she didn't understand why he was stopping her.
Benny also looked at Enoch.
"Teacher? Shouldn't I be getting treated?"
"I'm definitely going to heal you. But before that."
Enoch crouched down in front of Sancta to meet her eyes.
"Sancta."
Her golden eyes gazed clearly at Enoch.
"Don't you want to heal Benny without causing him any pain?"
Sancta's eyes widened slightly.
She knew. She knew that while her mana healed the wound, the process caused the patient pain.
She had seen Benny wincing every time. He tried not to show it, but he always bit his lip hard.
She hated that.
The fact that healing a wound had to hurt.
Sancta nodded.
Enoch smiled.
"I'll teach you how to Heal."
A look of determination filled Sancta's eyes. It was the first time he'd seen her look that way.
#
Enoch sat down beside Sancta.
Benny waited a short distance away, pressing down on the wound on his forearm.
"The way you're healing right now is by injecting mana into the wound."
Enoch explained.
"Mana from the Healing Type strengthens regenerative power. In the end, it's the body itself that closes the wound. That's where the pain comes from."
Sancta nodded.
"That's why you need to create a specific form when releasing mana."
"A form?"
Sancta tilted her head.
"Instead of pouring mana in all at once, you release it as a Pulse that spreads out like a ripple."
Enoch held up his hand to demonstrate.
"When released as a Pulse, the mana slowly permeates the body. It's a gentle restoration rather than a sudden one. That way, there's no pain."
Sancta looked at Enoch's hand, then at her own.
"......Pulse?"
She didn't seem to understand. The concept of a Pulse hadn't clicked for her yet.
Enoch thought for a moment.
'It's hard to explain with words. Since she's still young, it'll be better to show her directly.'
Enoch stood up and picked up a flat stone. He walked toward the valley stream.
Sancta followed Enoch and stood before the stream. The others followed quietly.
Enoch lifted the stone and threw it into the water.
— Plop.
The stone hit the surface.
Circular ripples spread out from that point.
A single circle grew larger and larger, spreading outward.
"That's a Pulse."
Enoch said, pointing at the ripples.
"A movement that starts from one point and slowly spreads outward. Imagine those ripples when you release your mana."
Sancta watched the ripples. She quietly observed the circles expanding.
Roundly. Slowly. A form that grew weaker toward the edges.
Enoch threw another stone.
— Plop.
Another set of ripples spread.
"Pouring mana in all at once is like throwing a boulder. It creates a huge splash and a shock. But what if you gently drop a small pebble?"
Enoch gently released a pebble from his fingertips.
— Plink.
Small ripples spread out silently.
"It spreads out gently like this."
Sancta gazed at the ripples for a long time before nodding to Enoch. Seeing it with her own eyes seemed to make her understand.
Enoch patted Sancta on the head.
"Now, let's try it yourself."
Benny sat down, holding out his forearm. Blood was slightly seeping from the wound.
"I'm ready! Go ahead, Sancta!"
Sancta placed her hand in front of Benny's forearm and closed her eyes.
'Ripples. Slowly. Spreading.'
She recalled the ripples she had seen in the stream.
Roundly. Quietly. Outward.
She released her mana.
— Whoooosh.
A white light erupted.
It was the same light as always.
"Urgh!"
Benny gritted his teeth.
Sancta hastily withdrew her hand. She opened her eyes and checked on Benny.
Benny gritted his teeth and waved his hand, saying, "I'm okay, I'm okay," but she couldn't pretend not to see his tightly shut eyes.
Sancta's expression darkened.
"Again."
Sancta spoke softly and reached out her hand again.
She closed her eyes and concentrated.
'Ripples. Pulse. Slowly.'
She released her mana.
— Whoosh.
"......Kugh."
Benny frowned.
Sancta withdrew her hand again. Her lips were pressed firmly together.
"Again."
Third time.
— Whoosh.
Failure.
Fourth time.
— Whoosh.
Failure.
Fifth time.
Sancta's hand began to tremble.
She understood it in her head, but her senses couldn't keep up.
Even when she imagined the ripples, the mana didn't flow as she intended.
Enoch watched from behind.
'She's still too young, so mana control is difficult.'
Sancta's mana capacity was overwhelming. However, mana capacity and mana control were separate issues.
No matter how much water there is, skill is required to control the flow into a thin stream.
What this child needed right now was practice in handling mana delicately.
And that wasn't something that happened overnight.
"Sancta."
Enoch called her gently.
Sancta looked up. Her eyes were slightly rimmed with red.
She looked as if she felt it was unfair.
"Let's stop here for today."
Sancta parted her lips slightly, clearly wanting to keep practicing.
"Changing the form of mana is a high-level technique. For now, it's enough that you understand the concept of a Pulse."
Enoch patted Sancta's head once.
Sancta looked disappointed, her head slowly drooping.
Then Benny spoke up.
"Sancta!"
Sancta looked up to meet his eyes.
Benny held up his forearm; the wound had almost completely healed.
The five attempts had provided small amounts of healing each time.
"Look! It's all gone! I'm healed thanks to you, Sancta!"
Benny beamed with a wide smile.
"Thank you, Sancta."
The stiff expression on Sancta's face softened just a little.
#
After gathering thirty Moonlight Plum Blossoms, they left the White Forest.
The journey back to Astella was quiet. As the sun dipped, the flags atop the city walls were dyed in orange hues.
Stepping into the Adventurer's Association, the atmosphere was different from the morning.
The lobby was packed with adventurers.
Parties returning from their quests were settling their rewards.
On one side, someone was repairing armor, while on the other, an adventurer supported a wounded comrade.
Enoch headed toward the reception desk.
"I'm here to turn in the Moonlight Plum Blossom collection quest."
The receptionist checked the flowers Enoch handed over, counting them one by one while inspecting their quality.
"Thirty Moonlight Plum Blossoms confirmed. The condition is excellent. I'll deliver these to the Libel Alchemy Workshop."
The receptionist handed over the reward.
Enoch checked the pouch filled with silver coins.
'Fifteen silver coins.'
This was his first reward, earned after dealing with ten Ents and five Goblins.
'Making money as an adventurer isn't easy. Before regression, selling a single magic book brought in a flood of gold coins.'
Enoch shook his head as he began to miss those days.
'Let's just be content with my current situation. At least I'm not in the Demon Realm.'
"Teacher! Our first quest was a success!!!"
Benny pumped his fist in the air. Edelyn also wore a smile.
They had struggled against the monsters, but the quest itself was a success.
#
There was a dining area on one side of the association lobby.
Several long wooden tables were set up, where adventurers chatted while eating.
The smell of grilled meat mingled with the scent of beer.
Enoch looked toward the dining area and spoke.
"Let's eat here today."
"I'm in!"
Benny was the first to respond.
Enoch added,
"Since this is where adventurers gather, we might overhear some useful information. Things like quest trends or monster sightings."
Enoch thought back to the Goblins in the White Forest.
Monsters appearing outside their usual habitats.
He wondered if other adventurers had had similar experiences.
The group took a seat at an empty table.
The food arrived in generous portions.
Thick steaks, bread, and vegetable soup.
Benny's eyes lit up the moment he saw the steak.
"Meat!! Meat!!!"
He gripped his fork and bit into it without hesitation. Beside him, Sancta quietly ate her soup.
Edelyn tore off a piece of bread and looked around. The conversations of adventurers drifted in from all directions.
"An Orc pack was spotted in the northern forest."
"That's old news. I heard a subjugation force has already headed out."
"Quest difficulty has been weird lately. I'm telling you, C-rank monsters are appearing in E-rank quests."
"Are you sure you didn't just misidentify them?"
Enoch listened closely to the surrounding conversations, checking for any mention of Goblins or monster habitat anomalies.
"......"
There wasn't any specific information. It was just the typical idle chatter of adventurers.
'The mention of weird quest difficulty is a bit concerning. C-rank monsters in E-rank quests... Could this be related to the Goblins in the White Forest?'
There was too little information to be certain.
Morse asked in a low voice beside Enoch.
"Did you hear anything?"
"Not yet. I'll have to look around more to find out."
Enoch took a sip of his soup, and the warm broth seeped into his body, making the day's fatigue feel as if it were melting away.
After finishing the meal, Enoch stood up.
"Let's head to the inn and rest. Everyone must be exhausted."
No one objected.
Benny's eyes were half-closed as soon as he finished eating, as if fatigue were finally hitting him.
#
An inn in Astella.
He chose one close to the Association. It wasn't sparkling clean, but it wasn't filthy either.
He liked that the prices were reasonable since it was a popular spot for adventurers.
Enoch booked three rooms.
"Benny and Edelyn in one room, Morse and Sancta in another. I'll take a separate one."
Benny nodded with sleepy eyes.
"Yes... Goodnight, Teacher."
"You did well. Get some rest."
Edelyn bowed her head quietly in greeting.
"Goodnight."
"Yeah. Sleep tight."
Morse said as she took Sancta's hand.
"You worked hard today. You'll do even better tomorrow."
Sancta nodded. Today's failure still lingered in her heart, but her sister's words comforted her slightly.
The group headed to their respective rooms. One by one, the sound of footsteps faded in the hallway.
Enoch entered his own room.
A single narrow bed and a small table.
Through the window, the night view of Astella was faintly visible.
The lights of the mana stone streetlamps were lit here and there.
Enoch sat on the edge of the bed and took off his coat.
'It was a pretty productive first day.'
Benny and Edelyn's first real combat.
The start of Sancta's healing training.
First quest completed.
Doing this much in one day wasn't bad at all.
'Tomorrow, I should start Morse's training. Starting with the interpretation of Rune Reading...'
Just as he was sinking into thought.
— Knock, knock.
He heard a knock at the door.
Enoch looked toward the door.
'Who would be here at this hour?'
"Enoch."
Morse's voice was heard from beyond the door.
"May I come in?"
Her low voice gave him an ominous feeling.